Dr. ShuddhanandaBharati

Adi Shankara

BhagavanWritten for the Young

ASSAEditions

Homage

Let’s pay homage to Adi Sankara Bhagavan,the torch of Veda Vedanta.Let’s join our hands in supplicationto the ascetic of Advaita,the lamp of knowledge, the Adi Sankara Bhagavan.

O Jagat Guru, You appeared on this earthto promote Sanatana Dharma.You are the Bliss that pulsates in our heartsYou are eternal and Love embodied.

Let’s fall at the feet of Sankara.Born at Kaladi, he came tobestow favour on the worldand blessed the great four (four direct disciples).

Inside the body of sinews and musclesthrobs he with his ‘Om Tatsat, Om’.His knowledge is as vast as the sky and he shows us the path of bliss.

Let’s pray to Adi Sankara Bhagavan.May his fame last foreverlike the light of the sun.He is a divine genius whoexpounded the Upanishad, Gita and Sutra.Let’s pay homage to him.

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Adi Shankara Bhagavan

Introduction

Adi Shankara Bhagavan

to the first edition in Tamil published in March 1963 bySir C. P. Ramaswamy Aiyar

Vice Chancellor Annamalai University Yogi Shuddhananda Bharatiar has already laid the readingpublic under a debt of gratitude to him by his publicationsof useful and interesting handbooks of several aspects ofYoga, Vedanta and Saiva Siddhanta. In his Voice of Thayu-manar he has, in continuation of the work done by a notedscholar and statesman, Sir. P. Arunachalam, brought thehymns of the Tamil sage and the lessons of his life to thenotice of discerning students of Tamil hymnology. YogiShuddhananda Bharati claims as his ancestors some of theministers of the Naik rulers (one of whom brought Thayu-manar to Ramnad incognito) and also Sadasiva Brahmam.With this background, the author has now produced abiography of Adi Sankara Bhagavan comprising fulldetails of his early life and the maternal and spiritual urgesthat operated on the great Acharya and elucidating hiswell-nigh omniscient erudition in practically every aspectof the sacred and secular literature extant during his time.The book contains a careful and loving account ofSankara’s sojourn in the holy places of India and the inci-dents that characterised his travels, like his encounter withthe foolish grammarian that led to the composition of BhajaGovindam, his dialogue with Siva in the guise of a Chandalaafter which he wrote the Manisha Panchakam, his contact

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with Padma Pada and with the others who became his cho-sen disciples. The author gives a stirring description of theepisode in Mahishmati which led to the disputation withMandana Misra and with the great Bharati, the spouse ofMandana Misra, which ultimately resulted in the emer-gence of Mandana Misra as Sankara’s successor and com-mentator under his later name of Sureswaracharya. As theauthor rightly observes, the contributions made by Bharati(as the beacon light) to the evolution of Sankara’s personal-ity cannot be over estimated and as he aptly states, theterm Bharati is among the titles borne by Sankaracharyaand is really a tribute to the work of the great woman saintand savant. The exequial ceremonies of his mother per-formed daringly and unconventionally by Sankara, hismeeting with Hastamalakar and Thotakacharya and thefounding of the Sringeri Pitha are recounted with a greatminuteness and the account of Sankara Vijaya is repletewith information as to the holy places visited and inspiredby Sankara including Rameswaram, Kanyakumari, Chi-dambaram and Kancheepuram in the south and Puri,Nasik, Ujjain, Dwarka and Jyothir Mutt in the north. Thebook is not only a biography but a repertory of many of thememorable sayings and hymns of Sankaracharya set outboth in the original Sanskrit and in its Tamil translation. Tosummarise, this handbook is a remarkable and compen-dious account of one of the great pioneers of philosophywho was simultaneously a deep thinker, a master of poeticmelody and an illustrious exemplar and exponent of one ofthe most formative and creative interpretations of the doc-trine envisaged in our Vedas and Upanishads.

C. P. Ramaswamy Ayyar

Editor’s Notes

Adi Shankara Bhagavan

Foreword to the first edition in Tamil - 1963By Shuddhananda Bharati

The religion of Bharat is Vedanta. The preceptor ofVedanta was Adi Sankara, whose fame had spread allaround the world. The yoeman service that he had done tothe field of education within a short span of thirty-twoyears is remarkable. His work is eternal. Sankara’s wordsare accepted by the entire world. Sankara’s entire life canbe termed as sacrifice for the cause of knowledge. Thisbook has been written to enable the young in our countryto know something about the wonderful life that Sankaraled and his teachings. The life of Sankara would enrich theminds of our young people and thus make our futureIndia bright. It was with this intention that this book waswritten.

This book owes for its material the various books onSankara in Sanskrit and Tamil. Then there were thedetailed lectures on Sankara delivered by the greatNarasimha Bharati during 1919 in Sivaganga. The notesmade while visiting the various places where Sankara hadeither stayed or had served the cause of Vedanta also formpart of the book. The material was thus collected and dis-cussed with great scholars and then it was written. Thisbook was read in front of friends during the Sunday meet-ings of Yoga Samajam. Friends wanted this book to bepublished.

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I had the fortune of meeting Sringeri Sankarachari ShriAbhinava Vidya Tirthar on a Friday in January 1961. Ireceived his blessings. Just as Buddhist ascetics install theidols of Buddha and do their service to the cause of theirreligion, it was felt by Sri Sankarachari that Veda Dharmashould be revived by a team of trained devotees whowould spread Sankara Vedanta throughout the world,install the idols of Sankara in the places of worship andserve the cause of Vedanta with the zeal of Christian mis-sionaries. A number of lectures were held in Sankara Mutt.

At that time I had the fortune of getting the friendship of agreat man. The sincere friend Vaidhya Subramania Aiyarcame to Yoga Samaja one day and said that I should writea children’s Book of Sankara. He gave me every possiblehelp for this project. His devotion to Sankara and his serv-ice mentality to the cause of religion are truly remarkable.If this work is in the form of a published book, the creditgoes only to this great devotee.

The great sayings of Sankara feature in this book. Detailedversions will be published subsequently. The same willcome out in English, Hindi, Telugu and French.

Sringeri Maha Sananidanam has sent a message for thisbook. I consider myself singularly fortunate in this and Iam grateful to him. Many more books explainingVedanta Sanatana Dharma are yet to be published. Irequest friends with means to help them get printed.Like our Buddhist, Christian and Muslim friends, weshould also spread our rich, old Vedanta around theworld. A number of books elucidating the Vedantashould be published. Ascetics should be given proper

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training and be sent all over the world to give the trueknowledge of Vedanta. May I request the heads of thevarious mutts, friends with means and enthusiasticdevotees to make this endeavour a success?

Shuddhananda Bharati

Yoga Samajam Chennai, 15.3.1963.

It is a real pleasure for me to present Adi Shankara Bhaga-van to you. Thank you, Dr. Shuddhananda Bharati forhaving transmitted Adi Shankara Bhagavan to us. With theblessing of Aum Shuddha Shakti Aum.

Editions ASSA is progressing in a beautiful way. Soon wewill print the 50th book by Dr. Shuddhananda Bharati. Itsuniversal and visionary message makes it a precursor ofthe way to go for the happiness of mankind.

It is also a pleasure for me to thank Daye Craddock for allher help for the correction and precision to the text of allthese books.

The next books to come are the major work of Dr. Shud-dhananda Bharati , Bharata Shakti, the Epic of God-men, in50,000 lines. This monumental work written during asilence of 25 years can be placed among masterpieces likeValmiki, Vyasa, Kalidasa, Kamban, Valluvar, Homer,Dante, Virgil, Racine, Shakespeare and Milton. The basicstory is a spiritual allegory into which the saintly authorweaves elegantly, the lives and teaching of prophets.

Christian Piaget

Song of Unity

Unite. Unite, Unite, Oh SoulsUnite and play your rolesUnite in mind, unite in heartUnite in whole, unite in partLike words and tunes and sense in songLet East and West unite and live longTrees are many; the grove is oneBranches are many: tree is oneShores are many; sea is oneLimbs are many; body is oneBodies are many; self is oneStars are many; sky is oneFlowers are many; honey is onePages are many; book is oneThoughts are many; thinker is oneTastes are many; taster is oneActors are many; the drama is oneNations are many; the world is oneReligions are many; Truth is oneThe wise are many; Wisdom is oneBeings are many; breath is oneClasses are many; college is oneFind out this One behind the manyThen life shall enjoy peaceful harmony

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Peace Anthem

Peace for all, peace for allFor all the countries peaceJoy for all, joy for allFor all the nations joyA rosy morning peaceA smiling summer joy (Peace for all)

All for each and each for allThis is the golden ruleLife and Light and Love for allFor all that live our love (Peace for all)

Work and food and clothes for allEqual status for allHealth and home and school for allA happy world for all (Peace for all)

No idle rich, no more beggarsAll are equal workersNo more tears, no more fearsThe heart is full of cheers (Peace for all)

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No atom scare, no fat mammonNo room for war demonLike leaves in trees, like rays in the sunWe are one communion,One Divine communion (Peace for all)

The good in you is good for allYour life is life for allThe God in you is God for allYour love is love for all (Peace for all)

For he or she or it or restThis collective life is bestThis Universal Life is bestNorth or South, or East or West (Peace for all)

Peace for plants and birds and beastsFor hills and streams and woodsPeace in home - land and air and seaDynamic peace we see

Peace for all, peace for all

Immortal Peace for All

Presentation of Dr. Shuddhananda Bharati11th May 1897 – 7th March 1990

The wise one to the cosmic ageAlthough more than 90 years old, in his school in thesouth of India, Kavi Yogi Maharishi (great divine visionary,wise poet), Dr.Shuddhananda Bharati worked like ayoung man of twenty. When he was asked his age, heanswered: “My age is Courage!” The Yogi wrote severalhundred works in English, French, Tamil, Hindi, Teluguand Sanskrit; five thousand songs, and fifteen hundredpoems in French. The magnum opus of the man consciousof the presence of God in him, Bharata Shakti, (in 50,000verses) described his ideal: only One Humanity living incommunion with only One God in a transformed world!Bharata Shakti is a monumental and unique work. The Yogidepicts the essence of all the religions, of all the prophetsand saints, all the approaches of Yoga and all the cultureson an allegorical fabric. It is a book for any age which allspiritual researchers and all nations should read and med-itate on. His commitment is summarized in his book cele-brating his life, Pilgrim Soul. The two poems mentioned inthe opening express perfectly his ideal. His mantra, AumShuddha Shakti Aum, nourishes our souls and guides oursteps toward the inner joy Ananda. It means: The light ofGrace and power of the pure supreme Almighty bless usof peace, happiness and prosperity! Let the beauty andgreatness of soul of Dr.Bharati Shuddhananda bloom andscent the entire Earth of its divine message and his spiri-tual and unifying benefactor!

Editions ASSA

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Part I

1. Our universal teacher

Mother: The city wears a festive look. The presence of agreat saint benefits the very world.

Kannan: Mother, who is that great saint? Shall we seehim?

Mother: Jagat Guru (the Universal Teacher) Sankaracharihas come to our city. Your father has gone to seehim. Kanna, we shall also go there. Have you hadyour bath and worn clean clothes? I hope youhave recited your prayers after applyingViboothi (sacred ash) on your forehead?

Kannan: Why do you ask me such a question, Mother?Does not my appearance suggest to you that Ihave?

Mother: You are smart, dear. This is how we should fol-low the observances of our tradition. By doingso, our faces will become bright and our knowl-edge deeper. Now put a dot of sandalwood pasteon the Viboothi and on top of it put a vermiliondot. Now your face is glowing.

Kannan: Mother, Father usually has his bath in the morn-ing after taking his coffee and after reading hisnewspaper. But today surprisingly he finishedhis bath very early like you and after recitingGayatri has gone out singing ‘Baja Govindam’.

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Mother: This is the greatness of Jagat Guru. His presenceattracts devotees like a magnet; like a breath ofspring great men appear on this earth. All thedevotees who are true believers are going to paytheir obeisance to him after performing theirdaily religious duties.

Kannan: Why is he referred to as Jagat Guru?

Mother: Sankarachari teaches something that is essentialto all mankind i.e., self knowledge or the knowl-edge of the soul. And he has written detailedcommentaries on Gita, Upanishads and BrahmaSutra etc., which are considered to be the bestscriptures in the world. That is why we call himJagat Guru.

Kannan: What is soul? What is meant by knowledge of thesoul?

Mother: You are asking me a difficult question, Kanna.When we sleep, we are not conscious of our bod-ies - but we continue to breathe, dream and wakeup. How? What is behind these? It is the soul. Itmakes the eyes see, ears hear, tongue taste andthe heart beat. It is the essence of life. The realisa-tion of this is self knowledge.

Kannan: How do we find it? Please tell me.

Mother: I am unable to. Thousands of unwanted thoughtscrowd in my mind and prevent me from explain-ing it to you.

Kannan: Then I will ask Father

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Mother: Your father does read a lot and can tell you sto-ries but he will not be able to explain soul.

Kannan: Isn’t there anyone who can explain it to us? Arethere no books on it?

Mother: The book that explains self knowledge is Veda.And the Enlightened One who explains it to us isour Jagat Guru.

Kannan: Mother, what are Vedas? Explain in detail.

Mother: I shall tell you whatever I know. Vedas are a mineof knowledge. They are of four treatises or sub-jects. Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and AdarvaVeda. Vedas have three cantos or sections. KarmaKantam (section dealing with action), UpasanaKantam (section on worship) and Jnana Kantam(section dealing with knowledge). The obser-vances that we should follow every day, rulesregarding our conduct, the methods by whichman can purify himself, worship of God, devo-tion to God, meditation and the knowledge thatman should attain - all these are dealt in detail inthe Vedas.

Kannan: I have not understood anything of what youhave said. Please tell me in simple language whatVedas teach.

Mother: Child - I am afraid that this is all I know. Nowrecite with me:

Satyam Vada Always speak the truth.Dharmam Chara Perform your duties.

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Matru Devo Bhava Consider your mother as God and worship her.

Pitru Devo Bhava Worship your father considering him as God.

Acharya Devo Worship your teacher considering Bhava him as God.Athithi Devo T reat every guest like God and Bhava worship him as God.Brahma Vit Only a person who knows and Aabnothi Param understands Brahman will attain

salvation.

Kannan: I get the point now. Who is the present reveredteacher?

Mother: Jagat Guru Sankarachari.

Kannan: Who was his guru? Who was his guru’s guru?Who was the first guru of all?

Mother: The guru who we are meeting today is Shri Abhi-nava Vidya Thirtha Swami. His guru was thegreat saint Chandrasekhara Bharathi. His guruwas the great leader Sachidananda NarasimhaBharati. Your father and I have had the privilegeof meeting all these three great men.

Kannan: Who was the first guru of all these great men?

Mother: He was Sankara Bhagavat Padachari. We refer tohim as Adi Sankara. The saint who adorns hisexalted seat now is the Sankarachari, who we aregoing to meet today.

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Kannan: Mother, now tell me about Adi Sankara’s great-ness.

Mother: Where shall I find words to describe the great-ness of such a holy man? Your father is a greatscholar. Let him describe it and we will all listento him.

All right, now we have come to his holy presence- there is your father.

Kannan: Father, please tell me the story of Adi Sankara.

Father: Sh........ not now. I will tell you the story in thenight. Watch the Jagat Guru performing the puja.With his absolute knowledge of Atma, he isglowing like a torch. Vedas are being chanted byeveryone. The music of hymns is resoundinghere. All devotees are worshipping the guru withgreat reverence.

“Sariram Surupam tathaiva, Kalatram Yasascharu citramdhanam Merutulyam Manascenna lagnam guroranghripadme, Tatah Kim tatah, kim tatah, kim, tatah kim”. Thismeans: devotion to preceptor is man’s greatest possessionor wealth. A man may have good looks, he might have avery attractive wife, he might be very famous and amassimmense wealth - but if he does not have devotion to hisguru, everything is a waste.

Kannan: Yes, Father. Without being conscious of it, a senseof devotion to the guru springs forth within us.

Father: Kanna - recite the prayer to the guru that I havetaught you. Prostrate before the guru and keep

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observing the puja. After it is over, once the holywater is distributed, we will go home.

Guru Vandana (prayer to guru)

Namastasmai BhagavateSankara charya Rupine.Yena Vedanta Vidhyeyam,Uthrida Veda Sagarat.

I salute that preceptor who is in the form of Sankaracharyawho brought out the system of philosophy - Vedanta fromthe ocean of Vedas.

Sarva Tantra SwatantrayaSadatma Advaita RupineSrimathe SankaracharyaVedanta Guruve Namaha.

I salute Shri Sankara - the great preceptor on Vedanta,who is well versed in all sciences and who is the embodi-ment of Advaita.

Vidita kila sastra sudha jaladhe Mahitopanishad gati tardha vide Hrdaya kalaya vimalam charanam bhava Sankara desike saranam.

I meditate at the divine feet of Sri Sankara who has under-stood and taken out the essence of the great Upanishadsfrom the vast ocean of sciences (Vedas). I seek refuge inhim.

Bhavata janata suhita pavita Nijabodha vicharna sarumate Kalayeshwra jeeva viveka vidham

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Bhava sankara desikame saranam.

O Sankara, I salute you who has purified mankind, by hisintelligent and analytical discourses and who has the dis-cerning knowledge. I seek refuge in you.

Guru pungava pungava ketanate Samata mayatam nahi kopi sudhi Saranagatha vatsala tatva vidhe Bhava sankara desikame saranam.

I seek refuge in you O Sankara, who holds the flag aloftwith the insignia of the bull, the foremost of the precep-tors. There is no one to equal you in intellect. You haveunderstood the ultimate principles of life. You are com-passionate towards those who seek you. (Thotakachari).

2. The holy land

It was a moonlit night, cool breeze was blowing, Kannanhad brought all his friends home. “Father, we have cometo listen to the story of Lord Adi Sankara,” said he and satdown. His father Atmanathan talked fondly to the endear-ing children. O holy land, the birthplace of great men, Orenowned country of Bharat, You are the lamp of the uni-verse and provider of plenty. You have given the worldmany good things - the best being Sankara who hasspread Veda and Vedanta. Kanna, our land is India. It is aholy land. It is the immortal spring of Self Knowledge.India has been the birthplace of many a great man whohas shown the right path to the rest of the world. Agastya,Valmiki, Vyasa, Sugar, Janaka, Krishna, Rama, Buddha,

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Chaitanya, Tulasidas, Meera, Kabir, Tukaram, Ramadas,Nammalvar, Rama Krishna, Vivekananda - all thesedivine people lived in this land. In the same holy landappeared Lord Adi Sankara. Do you know why? Whenmankind was torn apart by sorrows and sufferings, Ramaand Krishna made their appearance in this world. Theydestroyed the forces of evil and protected Dharma. Thiswe know in the same way, there was a time when our holyland lost sight of the Vedic principles and suffered conse-quently. I’ll give you an example. Suppose we do not cleanor sweep our house for months together, what would hap-pen? The house would be filled with garbage and infestedwith insects etc. Suppose it does not have a single lightthen the house would be filled with darkness. Whatwould be the use even if the house had a collection ofexcellent books? It would be a sheer waste.

Similarly there was a time when the light of Vedantadimmed in our country. People failed to realize the truthabout Atma, i.e. “Atma is knowledge and Atma is You”.People did not give a thought to the immortal soul. Theydid not seek Brahma gyanam (knowledge of Brahman)either. Each man as per his convenience started a religionof his own. “I am a Saiva, you are a Saktha, he is a Bud-dhist and that one is a Jain. There goes a Bairav, he is aKapaliga, that one is a Tantric and this one is a Mandram,”said man, dividing people into various sects. In the nameof religion many unimaginable atrocities were committed.On the other hand, some people argued that there was noGod, no Atma and no salvation. Everything was just anightmare born out of sorrow. Everywhere there was

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chaos. Darkness and confusion reigned supreme. Theworld was in the grip of materialistic thoughts.

To lift man from this slough of despondency, the torch ofSankara appeared. We refer to Sankara as Bharat Jyoti, i.eTorch of India, but actually he belongs to the universe. Hisknowledge shone like a sun, the light of which removedthe darkness of ignorance from the minds of people. Helived in his mortal body only for 32 years, but within thatshort period he achieved what others would not havedone in a few centuries. Now we read Gita, chant Upan-ishads, listen to Brahma Sutra, study Viveka Chudamani, wesing many a hymn in praise of God. All these have beengifted to us by Adi Sankara. We are able to discussVedanta now, only because of the knowledge imparted tous by Sankara. His words have removed the darkness ofignorance from the world. He has shown us the path ofeternal self attainment. All the great saints who came afterhim are all followers of the philosophy of Sankara.

When a mention is made of India, immediately the follow-ing four come to mind. Himalayas, Gita, Ramayana andSankara.

Kannan: Was our Lord Sankara so great? When did he live?

Father: Vedic families believe that Sankara lived during6th Century BC. As per our gurus he lived inKaliyug 2593. The modern scholars claim thatSankara was born during 788 AD and died in 820AD. Let the historians argue about the dates. Asfar as we are concerned Sankara was alwayspresent, he is present now and will always bepresent. In fact, Sankara who has left the mortal

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body and become an immortal soul will live forever as a torch of Vedanta.

Kannan: That seems to be right attitude to take. Father,now tell us who Sankara’s parents were and alsowhat his childhood was like, what did he study?Tell us in detail.

3. Sankara Jayanthi

Father: Look at the map of India. This is Kerala. Look forAlwaye, here about six miles from Alwaye youwill find Kalady. It is known as Tiruvur also. It ison the banks of the River Poorna. It is a beautifuland fertile place. In that place everyone followedhis observances very religiously. The Brahminschanted the Vedas regularly and recited theirprayers. The Namboodri Brahmins who were pre-dominant there were great men who had divinepowers. One of these men, Vidyati Raja, wasscholarly, rich, respected and well thought of. Hehad a good son whose name was Shivaguru. Shiv-aguru studied the Vedas, learnt the scriptures andafter leading the life of a Brahmachari for a num-ber of years got married. Shivaguru’s wife wasAryambal, who was also referred to as Subhadra.Aryambal was the daughter of Trichur Mahi Pan-dit. The house that she lived in is referred to as‘Payasappanai Illam’. The last resting place ofAryambal is still to be seen there.

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Shivaguru was a great devotee of Lord Shiva - a scholar ofVedas and a well disciplined godly man. Aryambal was theembodiment of love, knowledge, beauty and virtue. Bothof them lived very happily together. Their married life hadheaven’s choicest blessings. The house of Shivagururesounded with the chantings of Vedas and prayers to LordShiva. They kept an open house where guests were alwayswelcome. The only flaw in their otherwise perfect life wasthat they did not have a child. Shivaguru and Aryambalwent to the temple of Trichur Paramashiva and observedstrict penance, praying for the birth of a good son. Theyanointed Shiva’s shrine with pure clarified butter and leda very austere life, eating only the offerings made to LordShiva. Their penance succeeded one day. Lord Shivaappeared in Sivaguru’s dream and asked him: “Wouldyou like to have a hundred sons of low intellect or one sonof very high intelligence who unfortunately would notlive long?” Shivaguru opted for the intelligent son andreceived the Lord’s blessings.

Aryambal became pregnant. Shivaguru lived in theKalady house with his wife without a care. Aryambal sawa number of miraculous happenings during her preg-nancy. The day of happiness dawned.

The holy child was born on the day auspicious to LordShiva, during Nandana Year. After his birth, the worldwas uplifted. Since he was born due to the blessings ofLord Shiva, the elders named him Sankara (doer of good).They cast his horoscope.

Kannan: Father let us sing in praise of Lord Sankara’sbirth.

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Father: Good. Let’s all sing together. Siva Siva Sankara,Hara Hara Sankara Lord Sankara, may victory bewith thee. O Lord the result of the penance ofShivaguru and Aryambal, I salute thee, I salutethee the light of Kaladi. Like the rain dropswhich make the drying crops grow again, yourverses revived the Vedas. During your carefreechildhood days, you learnt and understood phi-losophy. You escaped from the illusion of croco-dile and renounced the world. You quenched ourthirst for knowledge by passing on the teachingsof Govinda Pada. You went to Benares andanalysed Vedantas, and gathered a treasurehouse of knowledge. You were an unsurpassedscholar and won over Markimandanar. Youspread Advaita through- out the country andfounded four mutts (institutions). You lit thelamp of Vedanta so that each home could be illu-minated. You blessed Sringeri Sarada Mutt that itshould flourish. You were the philosopher andguide of the enlightened Salakya Peetam. Youleft this mortal body in Jyothir Mutt, which youfounded, and O Jagat Guru, it is your voice thatresounds in the Kedar Mutt and touches a chordin everyone’s heart.

4. The tears of the mother

Sankara was a child prodigy. He started talking at the ageof two and at the age of three learnt to recite prayers whichwere taught by his father. Whatever he heard once got

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imprinted in his mind immediately. He knew how to con-trol his mind so that it would not vacillate and he hadmastered the art of concentration. Since the astrologershad predicted that he would live only for eight years theparents pampered him. Shivaguru made elaboratearrangements for his schooling - but Fate decided other-wise... One day while chanting his prayers, Shivagurubreathed his last. Aryambal, who could not bear the loss,lamented: “O God - my husband who was alive this morn-ing is no more now, and I have been widowed. Sankara, Owe have been orphaned.” She shed copious tears. Onewho had been respected as Shivaguru Namboodri wasjust a corpse now. People referred to him not as a man butas a corpse and said: “Remove the corpse,” while themother shed tears. Sankara meditated on this.

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